USA BRANCH
Greenkeepers USA was created out of the idea of turning a small, environmental club in China into an international organization dedicated to spreading sustainable practices worldwide. Since its inception in 2014, Greenkeepers USA has built an impactful following in the Bay Area, completing dozens of projects to benefit diverse communities. Follow us on our journey of social responsibility, innovation, and coffee shop meetings as we continue building a green future.
2025-26 CORE leaders
Manya Jain
(Co-president)
(Engineering)
Ritika mhatre (co-president)
niati Agarwal
(social media)
Hi! My name is Manya and I’m a senior at Mission San Jose High School. I’m the president and core leader for the engineering team! I love all animals, doing puzzles, and dancing with my friends. I’m interested in studying how we can use technology to promote sustainable habits in everyday routines. With Greenkeepers, I hope to create change that inspires others to push for sustainability in their own communities.
Hi! My name is Ritika Mhatre and I’m a senior at Irvington High School. I am currently the co-president of Greenkeepers and I’m excited to continue being part of such a meaningful cause. Outside of this nonprofit, I love dancing and playing musical instruments. I’m looking forward to another great year and can’t wait to see all the progress this nonprofit achieves!
Hi! I’m Niati and I am a senior at Irvington high school and one of the social media core leaders. I joined Greenkeepers in my junior year due to my interest in practicing sustainability and learning about environmental science. Some of my favorite hobbies include dance, art, henna, and watching tv!
jessica dao
(social media)
Bhavishya Thirumalesh
(Events and research)
Hi! My name is Jessica Diao, and I'm one of the social media core leaders. I’m a senior at Mission San Jose High School and joined last year due to my passions for sustainable practices and climate policy. I enjoy music, attempting to bake, and reading in my free time. I’m excited for the projects Greenkeepers has in store for the future!
Hi! My name is Bhavi Thirumalesh and I'm a sophomore at Mission San Jose High School. I'm excited to be in Greenkeepers again this year, but this time as the events and research core leader! I've always found it important to give back to our environment by keeping its habitats healthy and utilizing sustainable practices in our day to day lives. Thats why, when I found Greenkeepers last year, I thought it was the perfect initiative to take. Outside of school, I enjoy playing volleyball with my friends, swimming, and watching grey's anatomy. This year, I hope I can take my passion of environmental advocacy to the next level in my role as the lead for the events and research team!
current projects
For the 2025-26 season, we have three dedicated project groups: engineering, social media, and events/research. Welcome to the future.
mudball research
Following the recent fish die-offs at Lake Elizabeth, Greenkeepers has been meeting with the park rangers to learn more about the conditions that led to this event and future plans to prevent such events in the future. We are working with the rangers to research implementing mudballs in Lake Elizabeth to improve the water quality of the lake. The massive fish die-off (of over 1,000 fish) was due to the dissolved oxygen levels in the lake reaching a harmful low following a week-long heatwave. Mudballs can be used to boost the water quality of the lake over time. Currently, we are researching the results of similar mudball projects in other areas and the cost & materials required for implementing a similar project in Lake Elizabeth.
Pictured left to right: Rajorshi Chatterjee, Evelyn Zhao, Ranger Jeremy, Hannah Yuan, Sneha Narayan
LEAVE NO TRACE CAMPAIGN + CLEAN-UPS
In collaboration with Lake Elizabeth's No Trace Campaign, we are designing education flyers and brochures meant to encourage park visitors to act more sustainably to protect the lake's health. These posters motivate visitors to reduce their reliance on single use plastics, recommends compostable products, and reminds visitors to clean up after themselves. We have also collected over 200 pounds of trash in park cleanups.
Pictured left to right: Rajorshi Chatterjee, Hannah Yuan, Evelyn Zhao, Sneha Narayan, Jessica Diao, Renu Mandala, Bhavi Thirumalesh
Electric vehicle chargers
The Greenkeepers Engineering team is working to develop an app that uses Machine Learning to classify different electric vehicle chargers. We got this idea by exploring various ways e-waste harms the planet just as much as plastic waste.
Clothing Swap Event
Greenkeepers hosted a Clothing Swap where members traded clothes they no longer wore for pieces others had brought in. Instead of throwing unwanted items away, we gave them a second life with someone new, keeping textiles out of landfills and reducing waste. The event not only encouraged sustainability but also gave participants the chance to try out fresh styles, save money, and build community connections. By swapping instead of shopping, we took another step toward promoting mindful fashion and protecting the environment.
Sustainability futures panel
Greenkeepers hosted the Sustainability Futures Panel, featuring an esteemed lineup of experts: Kaylee Wei, a Caltech engineer and environmentalist; Aleyn McAuley, Fremont’s Sustainability Manager; Gaetano Palazzo, a paleontologist with the Math Science Nucleus; and Meghana Karumuri, an Environmental Science and Policy specialist at Michigan State.
With an audience of around 40 engaged students, the panel explored how environmental science intersects with various career paths, offering insights on sustainability's growing role in engineering, policy, and research.
Tree Planting
As the impacts of COVID-19 continue to impact our communities, Greenkeepers are working to ameliorate the effects of both the pandemic and climate change, through our "Life for a Life" COVID-19 memorial tree planting that we started in 2020.
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Learn more about this initiative here.
tule transplanting
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With recent fish die-offs impacting our community, we aim to set an example by transplanting tule on a barren island. Our project investigates how various levels of tule growth influence water quality. Currently, Ritika and Evelyn are preparing tule plugs for transplantation.
​Hackathon
Our engineering team, in collaboration with Hack Club, organized an exceptional hackathon event called HackBackBetter. This two-day event, held at the prestigious Hacker Dojo in Mountain View, aimed to introduce middle and high school students to the exciting world of software development. During the event, we had the opportunity to present our organization, Greenkeepers, and shed light on our impactful initiatives. We also talked about how the power of artificial intelligence can play a crucial role in addressing global challenges. Through our presentation, we showcased the ways in which AI can revolutionize the fight against climate change, from optimizing energy usage to developing innovative solutions for sustainable practices.
learn more
Check out some posts from our socials to meet
the entire team and get a sense of our projects!
